Editing Sling Blade

{{short description|1996 US drama film by Billy Bob Thornton}}
{{About|the 1996 film|the tool|Sling blade}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| image          = Slingbladeposter.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Billy Bob Thornton]]
| producer       = [[Larry Meistrich]] <br />David L. Bushell <br />Brandon Rosser
| screenplay     = Billy Bob Thornton
| based_on       = ''[[Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade]]'' <br />by Billy Bob Thornton
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Billy Bob Thornton
* [[Dwight Yoakam]]
* [[J. T. Walsh]]
* [[John Ritter]]
* [[Lucas Black]]
* [[Natalie Canerday]]
* [[Robert Duvall]]
}}
| music          = [[Daniel Lanois]]
| cinematography = Barry Markowitz
| editing        = [[Hughes Winborne]]
| studio         = [[TSG Pictures|The Shooting Gallery]]
| distributor    = [[Miramax Films]]
| released       = {{Film date|1996|11|27}}
| runtime        = 135 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $1.2 million<ref name="Collins" />
| gross          = $34.1 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |title=Sling Blade (1996) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Sling-Blade#tab=summary |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] }}</ref>
}}
'''''Sling Blade''''' is a 1996 American [[Psychological drama (film genre)|psychological drama film]] written, directed by and starring [[Billy Bob Thornton]]. Set in [[Arkansas]], it is the story of intellectually challenged Karl Childers and the friendship he develops with a boy and his mother. Karl was released from a [[psychiatric hospital]] where he had grown up due to having killed his mother and her lover when he was 12 years old. It also stars [[Dwight Yoakam]], [[J. T. Walsh]], [[John Ritter]], [[Lucas Black]], [[Natalie Canerday]], [[James Hampton (actor)|James Hampton]], and [[Robert Duvall]].

The film was adapted by Thornton from his previous one-man show ''Swine Before Pearls'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-26 |author=ROGER CORMIER |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71731/14-fascinating-facts-about-sling-blade |title=14 Fascinating Facts About Sling Blade |website=www.mentalfloss.com |access-date=2019-12-16 }}</ref> from which he also developed a screenplay for the 1994 short film ''[[Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade]]'', directed by [[George Hickenlooper]]. ''Sling Blade'' became a [[sleeper hit]], launching Thornton into stardom. Thornton won the [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay]],<ref name="nashcountrydaily">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nashcountrydaily.com/2016/11/25/dwight-yoakam-reflects-on-20-years-of-sling-blade-one-of-the-seminal-moments-of-my-life-as-an-artist/|title=Dwight Yoakam Reflects on 20 Years of "Sling Blade"—"One of the Seminal Moments of My Life as an Artist"|date=2016-11-25|website=Nash Country Daily |access-date=2019-12-16}}</ref> and he was also nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]. The music for the soundtrack was provided by [[French-Canadian]] musician/producer [[Daniel Lanois]].

''Sling Blade'' was filmed in 24 days,<ref>{{Cite web|date=Jan 1, 1997|title=Billy Bob Thornton by John Bowe for Bomb Magazine|url=https://bombmagazine.org/articles/billy-bob-thornton/|website=Bomb Magazine}}</ref> on location in [[Benton, Arkansas]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/sling-blade-movie-2181/ |title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |access-date=2019-12-16 }}</ref> produced by David L. Bushell and Brandon Rosser.<ref name="miramax">{{Cite web |url=https://www.miramax.com/movie/sling-blade |title=Sling Blade - Official Site |publisher=Miramax |access-date=2021-01-01 }}</ref>

==Plot==
Karl Childers is a developmentally disabled [[Arkansas]] man whose parents physically and mentally abused him when he was young. He has been in the custody of the state [[mental hospital]] since the age of 12 after murdering his mother and her teenage lover, who was also his tormentor, with a [[sling blade]]. Karl believed his mother was being raped and killed the teen in her defense. When he realized his mother was a willing participant in the affair, Karl killed her as well.

As a passive person, Karl spends his days quietly staring out a window at an open field and wringing his hands together. He is often forced by Charles, a fellow patient, to listen to his stories about unsolved crimes of murder and rape. Charles was, unbeknownst to the hospital, a serial killer. The state determines that Karl is no longer dangerous and releases him. Karl wants to stay, but is told that he has to leave. He goes back to his hometown, where he finds work as a small engine mechanic.

Karl befriends 12-year-old Frank Wheatley and shares details of his past, including the killings. Frank introduces Karl to his mother, Linda, and her gay best friend and boss, Vaughan. Vaughan is concerned about Karl's history, but Linda asks him to move into her garage, which her abusive and alcoholic boyfriend, Doyle begrudgingly accepts. Vaughan tells Karl that he fears Doyle could hurt or kill Linda and Frank one day.

Karl becomes a role model to Frank, who misses his deceased father and despises Doyle. As they grow closer, Karl tells Frank that he is haunted by an incident that happened when he was six or eight years old. His parents did not want his baby brother so his father made him dispose of the body. Karl found the baby was still moving, but buried him alive anyway. Karl later visits his sickly father and tries to reconcile, but is rejected. He scolds his father for his past cruelty to him and to his brother and says that he thought many times about killing him, but no longer sees the need as he is an old man and will be dead soon enough.

During Doyle's latest drunken outburst, where he refuses to leave Linda's house, Frank fights back. Linda later reconciles with Doyle, who announces that he is moving in with them. He tells Karl that he is no longer welcome. When Frank protests, Doyle grabs him, but Karl intervenes and warns him never to touch Frank again. Doyle insists that he is in charge and orders Karl to leave.

Realizing that an unhappy childhood or worse awaits Frank, Karl persuades him and Linda to spend the night at Vaughan's house. Karl tells Frank that he loves him, and gives him a brotherly hug. Karl then asks Vaughan to promise to look after Frank and Linda. Later that evening, he returns to the Wheatley home carrying a sharpened lawn mower blade, and finds Doyle drunk and alone in the living room. After asking Doyle how to call for the police, Karl kills him, calls [[9-1-1]], and then sits down at the kitchen table to eat biscuits with mustard, a childhood favorite, while waiting for the police to arrive.

Karl is returned to the state hospital, but is now more assertive. Charles begins telling him more private stories about unsolved crimes involving sexual violence, and then questions him about his relationship with Frank. This angers Karl, and he turns on Charles and tells him to never speak to him again. As Charles walks away, Karl resumes looking out of the window toward the open field, a slight grin on his face.

==Cast==
* [[Billy Bob Thornton]] as Karl Childers<ref name="miramax" />
* [[Dwight Yoakam]] as Doyle Hargraves<ref name="miramax" />
* [[J. T. Walsh]] as Charles Bushman<ref name="miramax" />
* [[John Ritter]] as Vaughan Cunningham<ref name="miramax" />
* [[Lucas Black]] as Frank Wheatley<ref name="miramax" />
* [[Natalie Canerday]] as Linda Wheatley
* [[James Hampton (actor)|James Hampton]] as Jerry Woolridge
* [[Robert Duvall]] as Frank Childers
* [[Jim Jarmusch]] as Deke, the Frostee Cream employee <!-- Gene is the name on his hat -->
* Rick Dial as Bill Cox
* [[Vic Chesnutt]] as Terence
* [[Brent Briscoe]] as Scooter Hodges
* [[Mickey Jones]] as Johnson
* [[Col. Bruce Hampton]] as Morris
* Christine Renee Ward as Melinda

==Production==
Thornton conceived the character of Karl while working on the film ''[[The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains]]''. He developed the idea into a monologue, which became a one-man show to fund the film.<ref name="washpost">{{cite news |date=March 23, 1996 | first=Rita | last=Kempley |title=Who Is That Guy? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/fbillythornton.htm |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] }}</ref><ref name="Collins">{{cite web |date=29 March 1997 |first=Scott | last=Collins |title=Call It Father of 'Sling Blade': Video Rides Oscar's Coattails |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-29-ca-43107-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times }}</ref> He expanded the monologue into a short film, ''Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade'', directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Thornton, Molly Ringwald, and J. T. Walsh.

The film was made with a production budget of $1 million financed by [[TSG Pictures|The Shooting Gallery]], and was sold to Miramax for $10 million, which at the time was a record price for an independent film.<ref name="NYT-Pristin">{{cite web |date=27 June 2001 |last=Pristin |first=Terry |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/27/nyregion/film-dreams-appear-to-fade-in-red-ink-for-manhattan-company.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |title= Film Dreams Appear to Fade in Red Ink for Manhattan Company |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527175034/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/27/nyregion/film-dreams-appear-to-fade-in-red-ink-for-manhattan-company.html |archive-date=2015-05-27  |url-status=live |url-access=registration }}</ref>

==Release==
The film grossed $24,444,121 in the United States against a $1 million production budget.<ref name="mojo">{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=slingblade.htm |title=Sling Blade (1996) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=2020-04-30 }}</ref> It grossed a further $9.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $34 million.<ref name="numbers" />

==Reception==
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] ''Sling Blade'' has a rating of 97% based on reviews from 58 critics with an average rating of 8.40/10. The site's consensus states "You will see what's coming, but the masterful performances, especially Thornton's, will leave you riveted."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sling_blade/ |title=Sling Blade |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2022-09-06 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] it has a score of 84% based on reviews from 26 critics.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sling Blade |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sling-blade |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=2021-01-01 }}</ref>

''[[The Washington Post]]'' called it a "masterpiece of Southern storytelling".<ref>{{cite news |date=February 7, 1997 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/slingbladekemp.htm |title='Sling Blade': Incisive |last=Kempley |first=Rita |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318102730/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/slingbladekemp.htm |archive-date=March 18, 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=March 1, 2021 }}</ref> Kevin Thomas wrote in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' that the film is "a mesmerizing parable of good and evil and a splendid example of Southern storytelling at its most poetic and imaginative".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-27-ca-3243-story.html |title=Gripping 'Blade' Crosses Folksy, Frightening |last=Thomas |first=Kevin |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 27, 1996 |access-date=November 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509210752/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-11-27/entertainment/ca-3243_1_sling-blade |archive-date=May 9, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' critic Janet Maslin praised the performances but said that "it drifts gradually toward climactic events that seem convenient and contrived".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/30/movies/rejoining-a-world-left-behind.html |title=Rejoining A World Left Behind |first=Janet |last=Maslin |author-link=Janet Maslin |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 30, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120034630/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9403E0DA103CF933A0575AC0A960958260 |archive-date=January 20, 2017 |url-status=live |url-access=registration |access-date=March 1, 2021 }}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[69th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| rowspan="5"| [[Billy Bob Thornton]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1997 |title=The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=October 23, 2011}}</ref> <br> <ref name="miramax" />
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material Previously Produced or Published]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1996|Boston Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| Best New Filmmaker
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://bostonfilmcritics.org/past-winners-1990s/ |title=BSFC Winners: 1990s |publisher=[[Boston Society of Film Critics]] |date=July 27, 2018 |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 1996|Chicago Film Critics Association Awards]]
| [[Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://chicagofilmcritics.org/awards-blog/archives |title=1988-2013 Award Winner Archives |date=January 2013 |publisher=[[Chicago Film Critics Association]] |access-date=August 24, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[Chicago International Film Festival]]
| Special Jury Award
| {{won}}
| align="center"|
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film|Chlotrudis Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Picture
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="5"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://chlotrudis.org/awards/past-awards/1997-3rd-annual-awards/ |title=3rd Annual Chlotrudis Awards |publisher=[[Chlotrudis Society for Independent Films]] |access-date=April 23, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| Best Director
| rowspan="2"| Billy Bob Thornton
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Actor
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| Best Supporting Actor
| [[Lucas Black]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[John Ritter]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Edgar Awards|Edgar Allan Poe Awards]]
| [[List of Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay winners|Best Motion Picture]]
| Billy Bob Thornton
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://edgarawards.com/category-list-best-motion-picture/ |title=Category List – Best Motion Picture |publisher=[[Edgar Awards]] |access-date=August 15, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[12th Independent Spirit Awards|Independent Spirit Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature|Best First Feature]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/SA_SubForm_etc/2023_SA_ALLNomineesWinners_051623.pdf |title=38 Years of Nominees and Winners |publisher=[[Independent Spirit Awards]] |access-date=August 6, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Actor
| Billy Bob Thornton
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1990-99/ |title=KCFCC Award Winners – 1990-99 |publisher=Kansas City Film Critics Circle |date=14 December 2013 |access-date=May 15, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[National Board of Review Awards 1996|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{draw|7th Place}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1996/ |title=1996 Award Winners |publisher=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| Special Achievement in Filmmaking
| rowspan="3"| Billy Bob Thornton
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[1st Golden Satellite Awards|Satellite Awards]]
| [[Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/1997/ |title=1997 Satellite Awards |publisher=[[Satellite Awards]] |access-date=August 24, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Adapted]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| [[Daniel Lanois]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[23rd Saturn Awards|Saturn Awards]]
| [[Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor|Best Performance by a Younger Actor]]
| Lucas Black
| {{won}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[3rd Screen Actors Guild Awards|Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture]]
| Lucas Black, [[Natalie Canerday]], [[Robert Duvall]], [[James Hampton (actor)|James Hampton]], <br> John Ritter, Billy Bob Thornton, [[J. T. Walsh]], and [[Dwight Yoakam]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/3rd-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards|title=The 3rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards |publisher=[[Screen Actors Guild Awards]] |access-date=May 21, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role|Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role]]
| rowspan="2"| Billy Bob Thornton
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[49th Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material Previously Produced or Published]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |title=Awards Winners |date= |work=wga.org |publisher=[[Writers Guild of America Awards]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |archive-date=2012-12-05 |access-date=2010-06-06}}</ref>
|-
| [[18th Youth in Film Awards|Young Artist Awards]]
| [[Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film|Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film]]
| rowspan="2"| Lucas Black
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms18.htm |title=18th Youth in Film Awards |access-date=2011-03-31 |publisher=[[Young Artist Awards]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402060451/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms18.htm |archive-date=2011-04-02}}</ref>
|-
| [[YoungStar Award#Second Annual YoungStar Awards|YoungStar Awards]]
| Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama Film
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |last=Ellis |first=Rick |title=1997's 2nd Annual Young Star Awards |url=http://www.allyourtv.com/awards/awardsyoungstar2nd.html |work=AllYourEntertainment, Inc. |publisher=www.allyourtv.com |access-date=February 2, 2013 |date=May 4, 1997 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801031733/http://www.allyourtv.com/awards/awardsyoungstar2nd.html |archive-date=August 1, 2009}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Film|1990s}}
* {{wikiquote-inline}}
* {{Official website|http://www.miramax.com/movie/sling-blade}}
* {{IMDb title|tt0117666}}
* [http://www.amorosity.com/Slingblade/ Filming Locations]

{{Billy Bob Thornton}}

[[Category:1996 drama films]]
[[Category:1996 films]]
[[Category:American drama films]]
[[Category:American films based on plays]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:Edgar Award–winning works]]
[[Category:Features based on short films]]
[[Category:Films about child abuse]]
[[Category:Films about domestic violence]]
[[Category:Films directed by Billy Bob Thornton]]
[[Category:Films set in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Films shot in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award]]
[[Category:Southern Gothic films]]
[[Category:1996 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1996 independent films]]
[[Category:Miramax films]]
[[Category:Films about mother–son relationships]]
[[Category:Films about disability in the United States]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:Saturn Award–winning films]]